BP Chats

At the point where the Pirates selected Cole Tucker, it immediately appeared like the club was drafting for positional need and reached for a kid with strong ties to the team (Jay Bell, et al). Has his play in rookie ball made this pick any less absurd? Or is 27 games of rookie ball just too small of a sample to determine anything?(NervousHabits from PGH)

Far too small to determine anything. He also has 10 errors, but we're not going to rule him out as a future SS just yet. It was a stretch, and even if he ends up being an all-star it will still have been a stretch because it doesn't sound like any other teams were going to take him anywhere near that high. But who knows. Until we can trade down in the MLB draft, there's something to be said for grabbing the guy you want no matter where you're picking. The Cubs did it with Schwarber and got their man. So be it. (Jeff Moore)

Who is the greatest bunter of all time (please say Alvaro Espinoza)?(Tony from Brooklyn, NY)

Can I say Phil Rizzuto instead? Espinoza was one of the very good ones that I've seen. Jay Bell was another. Man, I used to have arguments with my best friends about Espinoza. They would say he was a great bunter, great defender, and I would foam at the mouth and scream that he had an OBP of .250, so who cared if he was a great defender, could fly, or heal the sick? After awhile they did it just to watch my reaction. (Steven Goldman)